Written by

How Australian race car driver James Davison arrived at his first IndyCar Series event last weekend is a showcase in perseverance.

For starters, the Indianapolis resident drove his 1995 Jeep Cherokee four-plus hours to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course because that has been his low-budget, money-saving wheels for years.

The vehicle has more than 190,000 miles with a slipping transmission, a leaky radiator, failing power steering and a rusted exhaust system. Davison said he felt out of place parking next "to the Ferraris and Lamborghinis" of the established IndyCar drivers. ...